Symbols
by codexfawkes
Summary: Jayne took the paper with a long suffering sigh and looked at it his brow furrowing in concentration. "Don't hurt yourself." Simon mocked.


Mal walked into the galley frowning to himself. Something was…off about River and he couldn't figure out what. If it were six months ago he wouldn't have tried, seeing how she was crazy and all. Ever since Miranda had slapped her brainpan back into place the girl had been all manner of normal. Or at least as normal as an alliance trained genius psychic assassin can be anyway. He looked up from the square of paper in his hand to see Simon sitting at the table drinking a cup of tea and reading a large book. "Hey Doc, you notice anything off about your sister lately?" he asked sitting across from him. "Not really, why have you observed her doing something troubling?" Simon asked putting down his book with a frown. "Not so much troubling as…odd. She's been all manner of happy lately. For no reason." Mal added seeing Simon's skeptical look.

"So River being happy bothers you?" Simon asked slowly. "Well when you say it like that." Mal joked. "What is this about Captain?" Simon asked closing his book. "She's got something on her wrist, been noticing it for the past couple a weeks. I know she's gotta be doing it herself, I just don't know what it means." He said looking down at the paper in his hand. "Doing what? Mal are you saying she's hurting herself?" Simon asked leaning forward alarmed. "No, drawing on herself. Arrows." Mal assured him. "River's drawing arrows on her wrist?" Simon asked bewildered. "Yeah, like this." He said handing Simon the paper he'd recreated the symbol on. Simon looked at the slip of paper and saw what looked like a greater than and a less than symbol nested together so the points were pointed away from each other. "Well it sort of looks like two mathematical symbols nestled together, though if it's a symbol as a whole it's not one I recognize." Simon told Mal perplexed.

"What are you looking at?" Zoe asked walking in and seeing the pair staring at a piece of paper. "Zoe, you ever seen this symbol? River's been drawing it on her wrist." Mal said offering the paper to his friend. Zoe took the paper and looked. "Actually, I think I have." Zoe told them as Inara came in. "Have what?" she asked. "Seen this symbol, seems River's been drawing it on her wrist." Zoe told her handing the paper over. Inara took it with a smile and looked at it. "It's not something I'm familiar with, but sounds harmless enough." She said handing the slip to Simon. "Mal seems to think it's a clue to why she's been so happy." Simon told them. "Where have you seen that Zoe?" Mal asked bringing them back to the main topic. "My mother was into Norse mythology from Earth-That-Was. They had a language of symbols, runes she called 'em. They were an alphabet but were also used to tell the future. They carved the symbols on stone or bone and tossed 'em on the ground. Depending on how they fell the meanings were supposed to tell you how something was gonna go." Zoe explained. "You remember what this means?" Mal asked. "No, got a book of hers though that I'm pretty sure has a chart." She said heading toward the comm. "Wash baby, do you remember if that Norse book of my mothers is on the bookshelf or not?" she asked. "It's there lambie toes, I saw it next to the dinosaur encyclopedia Simon got me. I was about to put her on auto pilot and get a snack, want me to get it on my way?" he answered back. "Thanks baby." Zoe said smiling.

A few minutes later Wash walked in holding the book and handed it to Zoe. "Here you are wifey mine." He said leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Thank you husband." Zoe replied smiling at him. "So why did you want it?" he asked heading to get a snack. "River's been drawing a symbol on her wrist, Mal thinks it's a clue to why she's been so happy last few weeks. I think it might be a rune." She told him flipping through the pages. "Ah, here we go. Let's see yup, here it is. Apparently it means new beginnings and represents the letter J." she said looking up at Mal. "The letter J." Mal said his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Jayne!" he yelled causing everyone to jump. "Mal, we can't assume that Jayne has anything to do with this." Inara cautioned as they heard heavy footfalls heading toward them. "What's all the yellin for?" Jayne said coming into the room. "Something you wanna be tellin me Jayne?" Mal asked glaring at him. "Nope, that why you were yellin like your pants was on fire?" he asked confused. "You ever seen this before?" Mal pressed holding the paper out to the other man.

Jayne took the paper with a long suffering sigh and looked at it his brow furrowing in concentration. "Don't hurt yourself." Simon mocked. Jayne glared at Simon shoving the paper back at Mal. "Kinda reminds me of some math go se, means more then or less then don't it?" He asked leaning against the counter separating the eating area from the kitchen. "Not when they're close together like that. Then it means new beginnings. You been doing anything new lately Jayne, or anyone?" Mal persisted. "Yeah, I switched to my left hand ta shake things up a bit. It's a whole new 'Verse. Can I go now or are ya not done wit your break down yet?" Jayne asked sarcastically. "Mal, it's highly unlikely Jayne has any connection to River's behavior. After all, he clearly wouldn't know a dead language. Let alone why she would be drawing that symbol." Inara reasoned. "That what this is about? River drew suttin ya'll don't know the meanin to and somehow it's supposed ta be my fault?" he asked annoyed. "What did you call her?" Wash asked surprised. "River, it's her name ain't it?" Jayne snapped defensively. "Yeah but you never use it. You call her girl, girlie, crazy, moon brain, moony, pain in the pi gu and several others but never once have I heard you call her River." Zoe replied looking at him curiously. "Yeah, an every damn time I use one a them deviations one or all a you gets bent outta shape. Now I finally start usin her name and your still pissed at me." He complained crossing his arms over his chest.

"Deviations? Since when do you use words like deviations? Correctly?" Simon asked gaping up at him. Jayne shifted uncomfortably, an odd look crossing his face before disappearing into blank annoyance again. "What was that look?" Mal demanded. "Don't know what your talkin about. Look if'n ya'll got a problem with moony drawin that thing on her wrist, bitch at her about it. Ain't got nothin ta do wit me." He said with a scowl. "I never said she drew it on her wrist Jayne." Inara told him. "Well one a ya did. How else would I know?" he growled. "How else indeed." Simon said suspiciously. Jayne stubbornly kept his mouth shut, refusing to let Simon trick him into anything. "This is easily solved." Inara said standing. She walked over to the comm and hit the button to broadcast throughout the ship. "River, Kaylee will you please come to the galley. Thank you." Her voice rang out. Moving back toward her seat Inara smiled at Mal and patted his arm reassuringly. "Why'd you call for Kaylee?" Jayne couldn't help asking. "Well, everyone else is here. It didn't seem fair to leave her out." Inara replied. "Outta what?" Kaylee asked bouncing into the room. "River's been drawing this on her wrist, it means new beginnings and apparently the letter J. Mal thinks it may have something to do with why she's been so happy lately. Something that seems to involve Jayne, whose being very defensive about the whole thing." Inara explained handing her the paper. "Huh? Wait like you an River bein more than friends or something?" Kaylee asked looking over at Jayne. Jayne stayed silent as the question hung in the air.

River walked into the galley, hair wet from her shower to find everyone staring at an uncomfortable Jayne. 'They saw it, figured out enough to be suspicious.' He thought at her clearly picturing the symbol he'd refused to let her tattoo on her skin. "Oh, so now what?" She asked out loud startling everyone. "Now what, what?" Kaylee asked confused. 'Up to you, if'n you wanna tell 'em do it. One question, Mal kicks me off are you comin?' he asked silently. Rivers face lit up, her eyes locked with Jayne's. "In a nano second." She replied aloud without hesitation. A grin tugged at the corners of Jayne's mouth at her words as the crew looked back and forth between them perplexed. "Anyone else findin this a mite bit creepifyin?" Mal asked. "Yes sir." Zoe answered for everyone. "Well get your ass over here then girl." Jayne said pushing off the counter unable to suppress his grin any longer. River laughed and walked toward Jayne her hips swaying in a way they'd never seen before. "River?" Simon questioned a feeling of dread blooming in his chest. "Don't worry ge ge, all will be well." She said never taking her eyes off Jayne. "Everyone must watch closely and see the new beginning that has made me so happy." River instructed her voice deeper than normal.

Unable to look away the crew watched as River stood in front of Jayne and reached for his hands. She guided his large hands to curl around her waist as she stepped closer to him, going up on tip toe to wrap her arms around his neck. As her breasts grazed his chest Jayne growled low in his throat and pulled River closer, his hands sliding down to cup her backside and lift her a few inches off the ground causing their lips to meet. River tilted her head, clearly deepening the kiss, causing another deeper growl to rumble out of Jayne's chest as he lifted her higher and tighter against him as one hand slid down the back of her thigh guiding her right leg around his waist. Once her leg was in place helping to hold her up, his hand slid back up to cup her head, fisting in the long dark hair as he groaned into her mouth. River was far from silent herself, series of purrs and moans had escaped as Jayne's hands roamed her body. The crew stood in silent shock as the two locked themselves together.

"He's kissin her on the mouth!" Kaylee squealed excited at the new romance on the ship. Her words broke Mal out of his shock. He strode over to the sink, grabbed a large pan off the rack and filled it with cold water before stalking back over to the still kissing pair and throwing it on them from the side so it hit them right where their faces met, causing them to part in shock. "Couldn't you have just asked us to stop?" River asked releasing her hold on Jayne and sliding to her feet. "Not so much." Mal replied. "River, how…why…I need a drink." Simon said slumping in his chair. "We became friends then, we became more. As for why, the heart wants what it wants." River said turning to face the crew pushing wet hair out of her face. "But why _**Jayne**_?" Simon asked a desperate edge to is voice. "Why Kaylee? Can you define exactly what it is that made you love her? She is nothing like the women you dated before. On the surface it would seem as if you two had little to nothing in common, but you work. Just like Zoe and Wash or Mal and Inara. None of the pairings on this boat make sense on the surface, but they all work. Jayne and I fit, we make each other happy. And truly, that's the last defending we're going to do." River said leaning back against Jayne.

"What's in a nano second?" Wash asked curious. "Jayne asked me if Mal kicks him off the ship would I go with him. That was my answer." She replied. "He didn't say anything." Kaylee said while pouting at the idea of them leaving. "He thought it at me." River explained. "You can do that?" Zoe asked surprised. "It were kinda an accident at first. Realized if'n I thought somethin an pictured her face when I did it she'd pick it up. Course Riv's gotta answer out loud, but everyone's so used ta her comin out wit non sequitur ya'll never noticed." Jayne explained putting his hands on her shoulders pulling her tighter against his chest heedless of their wet clothes. "Okay, really? Deviations, non sequiturs? River have you been expanding this man's vocabulary?" Mal demanded a teasing glint in his eye. "Yes sir, I have blatantly and without remorse been speaking to Jayne as an equal." River told him with a smile. "Alright, if this is going to continue on my boat I got some rules. One, your problems are your own. Any fights, disagreement or tiffs you keep 'em outta my sight and hearing. It doesn't spill over onto the job. Ever. Two, no kissing for more than three seconds, touching anything that is regularly covered by unders, and especially no sexing outside a one of your bunks. Thirdly I don't ever wanna hear happy noises comin outta a bunk with you two in it. No growls, purrs and sure as hell no shouts a passion. Also if you do cause problems I will kick one a you off, which one depends entirely on whose more valuable to me at the time dong ma?" Mal said in his best captainy voice. "We understand and comprehend." Jayne

answered smirking. "Cut that out, it's not too late to shoot you." Mal threatened sternly.


End file.
